Bananas, Weddings and the Conflict Between Tradition and Progress

Though Cambodians think we're weird to usually have bread (toast) with breakfast, they often enjoy it for a snack. Usually the bakeries around here offer jam and "sweetened condensed beverage creamer" to go on the baguettes. Ben got some for the kids to try.

I have to admit, "beverage creamer" sounds disgusting and I don't think I would ever buy it again. It was super sweet, so the kids enjoyed it of course! Ben is great about trying new things and finding new experiences for the kids to remember a country by.

I think one of the kids, probably Ezra, stuck something in this fan while it was running... the casualty fan blades lie broken in the bottom of the protective screen. We keep trying to flag down the fan guy when he rides through trying to sell replacement fan parts on his motorcycle. He has a pole sticking up on the back of his bike full of fan blades, but he speeds through so quickly, we haven't caught him yet.

I finally caught a sweet smile from this chubby, love bug. She's such a sweet baby. She has learned how to roll, so now we're always holding her or sitting by her on a bed or couch so she doesn't hit the floor. Sometimes I put a blanket on the floor, but there are so many critters I'd hate to have something bite her. One thing that comes in often looks like a big black centipede. They're creepy and the Cambodians say that they have a bad bite. We try to flush them any time we find one and the flusher is working, otherwise we seal them in the trash outside!

 

For Khmer New Year our neighbors were so kind and gave us tons of bananas and mangoes. With so many bananas, I had to find a way to use them up. These aren't usually the typical Cavendish banana, but a version I've heard called "apple banana" because of their firmer texture and slightly different flavor. I used a normal banana bread recipe from online, but modified it to make it cheaper: using no eggs, less flour and oil. I gave some to all of the neighbors and made Ezra's birthday cake with it. I've made 13 batches of the stuff, just to get rid of all of the bananas! This is the cheaper recipe I've come to use:

3 cups blended bananas with a little bit of oil (we're trying to use them up, right!?)

3/4 cup of brown sugar (white sugar makes it burn on top before it's done in the middle)

1 teaspoon of salt

a dash of cinnamon

a dash of vanilla powder

a teaspoon of baking soda

2 cups of flour (If you use rice flour, half that because it absorbs more liquid.) 

The neighbors liked it so much that now any time they have a batch of not-green bananas like they like them, they give them to me to make into banana bread. Some have asked for the recipe and said I should start a bakery. I'm thinking, give them the recipe and when we leave they can buy the toaster oven and begin a bakery themselves. I think I'll be fine not seeing another apple banana in my life if I don't have to. :)

There was a wedding at the end of our neighborhood by a major intersection. Traffic had to divert in honor of tradition. The neighbors with a vehicle were stuck on this end of the neighborhood until the wedding finished. They were nice and pushed the tables and chairs over so I could get to work the next morning.  On the plus side, our street was safer for kids to play on. The people having this wedding decided to take the tent down after one day and have the rest of the celebration in a restaurant. We were relieved because it makes it so much easier to get out of the neighborhood, but it does make me wonder about how Cambodians are coping with the changing times and their traditions. Even on major highways wedding tents are set up covering a good portion of the road and can last for several days. Guests come wearing fancy, embroidered clothing and eat with the bride and grooms family. Each person just sets up a tent in front of where they live. In the past, before cars were available here, this was just a minor inconvenience as the smaller motorcycles and bikes can get through, but as the middle class grows and cars become more and more common along with more and more weddings or funerals or other occasions calling for tents in the road, it gets increasingly difficult to get around. I'm sure it will get sorted out over the next 50 years or so, but until then, we get to explore new roads and ways to get around.

Pests in Cambodia

There are a lot of things that thrive in a rainy-season country: interesting fruits, vegetables, trees, rats, mice, frogs and all sorts of insects.

Houses here are built of cement block covered in cemented-on tile for the most part. Windows are always barred, but front doors are often open except at night as there's no central air. With most kitchens outside, that usually keeps the rats outside too. Usually. Any little crack and they can squeeze their way inside. Because they are smaller, mice can squeeze in under normal metal doorways. Since upstairs Windows can be more of a downward, open vent, terra cotta tile hole, things can climb in that way as well. 

One corner of one of the screens came loose in our kitchen...

And a rat got in. I hate rats. We got it screwed in tightly as soon as possible! Mice, however, are almost impossible to keep out. Ben has suggested getting a cat to help with the mice, and who knows, that might be the best choice after the baby is born.

Spiders, flies and mosquitos are everywhere and also hard to keep out. Thankfully, most of the diseases passed by mosquitos are caught outside of the city in the countryside when people go home on breaks, so we're avoiding that kind of travel until after the baby is born. 

In a water pipe hole in our kitchen lives a medium-sized frog. Every night he comes out, but dashes back in if you get too close. Ezra always says "bye bye frog" when we close up the kitchen at night. (To make sure nothing goes from there into the rest of the house.) 

We always make sure all food is stored in air-tight plastic-lock containers, in the fridge or freezer. It's also important to sweep and do dishes religiously to keep pest invasion to a minimum. With toddlers and big people that aren't me who like to snack in lots of places, that gets challenging.

In addition to rodents, there are many lizards running around on the walls and ceilings here. They're fairly easy to ignore, at least.

Thankfully, we haven't had issues with snakes, though I've heard of a few issues in the city.

All of these things we call "pests" have been turned into delicacies by Cambodians. You can get snake on a stick, fried rat, dried frogs, and insects in different ways in the market. While I find that disgusting, I admire their ability to persevere and make money out of something most people would just try to kill.